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Were GIFs invented thousands of years ago? Scientists believe that prehistoric people may have used tablets—stone tablets, not wireless tablets—to make their own form of animation. 

Researchers at the University of York and Durham University in the United Kingdom studied pictures of animals that had been carved into stone about 15,000 years ago in what is now France. They noticed heat damage on the stone tablets and concluded that the tablets had been placed very close to fire. They wanted to know why.

The researchers recreated the ancient stone tablets by carving their own illustrations into stone. They were careful to make the tablets look as the ancient ones would have looked when new—with clear lines outlining the animals. Then they placed the recreated tablets around a fire in positions that would cause the same heat damage markings they’d seen on the ancient tablets. This placement caused the illustrations of animals to appear to move and flicker, sort of like a primitive animated movie. 

“When you get this dynamic light across the surface, suddenly all these animals start to move; they start to flicker in and out of focus,” archaeologist Andy Needham of the University of York in the United Kingdom told Live Science.

A group of scientists say they were able to train fish to do math.

No, this does not mean your pet goldfish can help you with your fractions. But in a recent study, stingrays and cichlids (a species of freshwater fish) demonstrated basic numerical skills.

“We trained the animals to perform simple additions and subtractions,” said Vera Schluessel of the Institute of Zoology at the University of Bonn in Germany.

Here’s how the study worked: Each fish was shown an image with between one and five shapes. The shapes were always either yellow or blue. Blue meant “add one to the number of shapes in the image,” while yellow meant “subtract one from the number of shapes in the image.” So, an image with three blue shapes meant “three plus one.” And an image with four yellow shapes meant “four minus one.” The fish would then be shown two new images and have to swim to the correct one. For example, a fish shown three blue shapes, or “three plus one,” had to swim to the card with four shapes.

Scientists trained the fish to do some simple problems by giving them treats when they got correct answers. Then it was time to test whether the fish really understood the concepts of addition and subtraction. The scientists did this by presenting the fish with problems they hadn’t seen before. The fish got most of the new problems right.

Some scientists not involved in the study think the results are a little…fishy. Or, at least, they question whether the fish were actually doing math. But the study authors say their findings provide clear evidence that these animals can add and subtract.

A simple device that just about anyone can put together is proving to be a valuable tool in the fight against COVID-19. The Corsi-Rosenthal box is a build-it-yourself air filter that has been shown to reduce the number of virus particles in indoor settings. 

Scientists say air filtration is an important part of protecting people from COVID-19. That’s because the virus that causes COVID-19 can remain in the air for hours, even after an infected person leaves the area. Invented by engineer Dr. Richard Corsi and Jim Rosenthal, the head of an air filter company, the Corsi-Rosenthal box is a fairly inexpensive alternative to store-bought air-cleaning devices. Scientists at 3M, a company that makes air filters, tested the Corsi-Rosenthal box and found it was effective at capturing virus particles.

The ingredients for a Corsi-Rosenthal box are available at most hardware stores. They include a box fan, four or five high-quality furnace filters, some cardboard, and duct tape. Building instructions can be found on many websites. Assembling the device is as simple as putting flat objects together to form a cube.

Because they’re so easy to make, the boxes have become increasingly popular. Many people have built them for their homes and workplaces. Volunteers have also built boxes for schools and homeless shelters.

Experts caution that air cleaners alone are not enough to make indoor spaces safe. But, along with ventilation, vaccination, and mask-wearing, these portable devices can make a big difference.

Could this be a solution to plastic pollution? 

On March 2, 2022, the United Nations (UN) announced that 175 nations had agreed to draw up a treaty that will legally require them to reduce plastic waste. Government leaders made the agreement at the fifth biennial (every other year) session of the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting brought together leaders of governments, businesses, and more to discuss critical environmental issues.

Plastic is certainly a critical issue. Each year, about 11 million metric tons of plastic end up in the oceans and other bodies of water. A lot of this waste is single-use plastic, which is plastic that’s used once before it gets discarded. Single-use plastic items include plastic bags, straws, beverage bottles, and most food packaging. Plastic doesn’t decompose. Once in the water, it often breaks down into tiny pieces called microplastics. Sea life can get caught in large plastic items or swallow small pieces.

The agreement that was made at the UN conference is a step toward tackling the plastic problem. Leaders said they would limit the production of new plastic and increase plastic recycling and the design of more sustainable packaging. Currently, less than 10 percent of the world’s plastic gets recycled.

“Plastic pollution has grown into an epidemic,” said Espen Barth Eide, president of the UN Environment Assembly’s fifth session and Norway’s minister of climate and the environment. “With today’s resolution, we are officially on track for a cure.”

If you could have a superpower, what would it be? The ability to fly? How about the power to become invisible? While flying is still beyond our grasp, invisibility is becoming a reality—sort of. British company Invisibility Shield Co. is the latest to announce that it has created an invisibility shield.

It may sound like something out of The Hobbit or the Harry Potter books, but invisibility technology has been a real thing for a long time. A Canadian company called HyperStealth made waves in 2012 when it introduced a material called Quantum Stealth. HyperStealth designed the material for military equipment like parachutes, airplanes, and even uniforms. The company said it would make objects and people invisible. 

Similarly, Invisibility Shield Co.’s product, a lightweight rectangular panel, is meant to conceal the presence of anything that’s behind it. Unlike HyperStealth, Invisibility Shield Co. is selling its product to the public—so anyone can seemingly have a superpower. 

It turns out, though, that there’s nothing supernatural about achieving invisibility. It’s a matter of simple science. Invisibility materials change the path of light rays to make it look like the subject (the person or thing behind the materials) isn’t there. It’s not a perfect illusion. Through the shield, the background looks a bit blurry, so it doesn’t totally match its surroundings.

Even though users may not have superpower-level invisibility, they can still have fun. Invisibility Shield Co. boasts that its device is perfectly portable. The larger of the two sizes weighs less than 9 pounds (4.1 kilograms), and neither of the shields needs electricity.

The power of invisibility doesn’t come cheap. Invisibility Shield Co. is selling the larger of its two shields for about $390.

When Olivia Rodrigo arrived at the Grammy Awards earlier this month, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter attracted attention for her decision to bring an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter with her. The interpreter stood next to Rodrigo as she was interviewed on the red carpet, converting Rodrigo’s spoken words into signs. Rodrigo won praise for improving accessibility at the Grammys. 

Rodrigo is winning a lot of praise these days. At the Grammys, she won three of the coveted music prizes, thanks to her mega-hit single, “Drivers License,” and her album, Sour. 

Rodrigo’s music career took off last year, after “Drivers License” was released in January 2021. The song, which is about heartbreak, was streamed more than one billion times, propelling Rodrigo to pop-star status. Rodrigo’s Grammy Awards—for Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Pop Vocal album—could help set her on the superstar path forged by her idol, Taylor Swift.

Rodrigo isn’t totally new to fame. She had the lead role in the movie An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success, when she was 10 years old. She has since starred in two TV series, Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Her roles on both shows required considerable musical talent—no problem for the gifted Rodrigo.

During the time she was acting, Rodrigo was also writing songs. When she shared one of them on Instagram, the producers of High School Musical asked her to write a ballad for the show. The success of the resulting song, “All I Want,” got Rodrigo a record deal. “Drivers License” and Sour would soon follow.

Rodrigo will spend a good part of the spring and summer on tour. She’s super busy and says fame can be a lot, but talking to a therapist helps her handle life in the spotlight. 

“I’m so happy,” Rodrigo told Clash Music in 2021. “I’m doing everything that I’ve always wanted to be doing.”

It’s official: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will serve as a justice on the Supreme Court, the highest court in the United States. The U.S. Senate confirmed Jackson on April 7 by a vote of 53-47. Jackson will be the first Black woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court.

The nine Supreme Court justices have some of the most powerful jobs in the United States. Together, the justices hear about 80 cases every year. They consider whether laws are constitutional, meaning they decide if laws are fair based on what the U.S. Constitution says. Justices have the power to overturn, or reverse, decisions made by lower courts. 

The justices don’t always agree on the cases they hear. In fact, they have very different ideologies, or opinions about issues. They make decisions by taking a vote. 

How do you become a Supreme Court justice? Potential justices are nominated by the president before the Senate votes on whether they should get the job. Nominees are usually chosen based on their experience as a lawyer and a judge. Presidents usually select nominees who have legal opinions similar to their own.

Jackson has had a long career in the law. She grew up in Florida, where both of her parents were teachers before her father became a lawyer and her mother became a school principal. Jackson attended Harvard University and Harvard Law School. After graduation, she worked as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, assisting him with research and other work that justices do before reaching decisions. Jackson also worked as a lawyer and then a judge. In 2021, Jackson became a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the second most powerful court in the nation.

Like all Supreme Court justices, Jackson will have her job for life, unless she decides to retire. Her legal decisions and opinions will have an important influence on many aspects of life in the United States.

Humans make up new slang words all the time. And, it turns out, orangutans do something similar, though they don’t use words. 

Orangutans can’t talk, but they do use sounds to communicate. Scientists in the United Kingdom have found that orangutans often come up with new sounds. Like human slang words, these sounds often catch on and are used by other orangutans in the community.

In a study led by Dr. Adriano Lameira of the University of Warwick, scientists spent five years recording “kiss-squeaks” emitted by orangutans in various communities. Kiss-squeaks are sounds that orangutans make to try to scare away predators. Scientists once thought kiss-squeaks were hardwired, meaning they never change. But the recordings showed that new kiss-squeaks are invented over time. The recordings also showed that after hearing a new kiss-squeak, other orangutans sometimes begin to use it. 

If this sounds familiar, it may be because this is a lot like the way humans add new words to their languages.

Scientists already know that human language is shaped by social surroundings. In other words, we begin to use new words after seeing or hearing them from friends, social media, TV, and other sources. The study provides evidence that orangutan communication is somewhat similar. Dr. Lameira told The Guardian he believes that some orangutans will invent new sounds to “show off their coolness and how [much of a] rebel they are.”

Two college students have created a website designed to assist Ukrainian refugees. The website, called Ukraine Take Shelter, helps people who are fleeing the war in Ukraine to find a place to stay in cities around the world.

Ukraine Take Shelter was created by Harvard University students Avi Schiffman, 19, and Marco Burstein, 18. Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, millions of Ukrainians have left their home country, and many have no place to go. There are, however, a lot of people around the world who want to open their homes to Ukrainians. Schiffman, a talented web designer, realized that there was a need for a simple online resource linking refugees with people willing to host them. He and Burstein built the website in just three days.

Ukraine Take Shelter, which can be viewed in several languages, is designed to be easy to use. The user simply types in the city where they need shelter to get listings for houses, apartments, and rooms that are available. Thousands of potential hosts have posted listings on the site. 

Why did Schiffman decide to help? He said he saw a need for a website and, having built sites before, he thought, “Why not me?”

On March 31, 1989, a UFO was spotted in the sky over London, England. The flying saucer attracted hundreds of witnesses who may have wondered if extraterrestrials were about to land on Earth. But this was no alien invasion. It was the ultimate April Fools’ joke.

The man behind the prank was Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group. Branson’s company is involved with entertainment, fitness, and flight—but business isn’t Branson’s only interest. He’s all about April Fools’ Day, which falls every year on April 1.

For his legendary 1989 stunt, Branson didn’t build a flying saucer from scratch. Instead, he made a hot air balloon look like a flying saucer by covering it in silver casing and adding lights that could flash on and off. The dressed-up balloon took flight early in the morning, just as the sun was rising and the first commuters were heading to work. At least some of the people who saw the eerie “UFO” hovering over them took it pretty seriously. The police later said they lost count of the number of calls they received.

The police pursued the mysterious “spacecraft” and finally caught up with it just after it landed. But, as Branson later remembered, the drama didn’t end there. When the door of the flying saucer opened, Branson recalled, fog wafted out and an alien emerged. (Of course, it was a human wearing an alien costume.) Since the next day would be April Fools’, the police soon realized what was going on.

Branson’s company, Virgin Group, has since gotten involved in space exploration. Maybe Branson will actually be an alien someday—exploring a planet far from Earth.